Not long ago, I read a book by motivational speaker Grant Cardone called The 10X Rule. The author criticizes Americans who have a passive mentality, thinking the government will take care of them or believing a mediocre life is all they can expect. Cardone says to succeed, people must work 10 times harder and be 10 times more passionate about life than anyone else.
That made me wonder if attitudes about our spiritual lives are any different. Are we passive and indifferent, hoping only for mediocrity? If working 10 times harder or having 10 times more passion helps secular people succeed, what would happen if believers experienced 10 times more power—from the Holy Spirit?
I told a friend about my analysis of Cardone’s book, and he said Christians needed encouragement to believe for 10 times more of the Holy Spirit’s power to lead more fulfilled lives and overcome spiritual attacks. Most, missing the real opportunity to experience God’s power, are living spiritually mediocre lives instead.
That was the genesis of my new book, Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World. It releases in May right before Pentecost, and my cover story in this issue articulates the vision behind it. More than a book, this is an expression of what I deeply believe and what I’ve been doing the past 48 years at Charisma Media.
The first issue of Charisma in 1975 had a motto on the cover: “the magazine about Spirit-Led living.” Now I’ve articulated that in a book that is, in essence, my life story. Although it’s not about me, I had to go deep to tap into the Holy Spirit’s desires and to share some of my own stories.
Despite—or perhaps because of—what I call the upside-down world, I believe a spiritual hunger exists today, a great desire to experience more of the Holy Spirit. Several churches used the new book as a Bible study, drawing from the chapter-ending questions for discussion. I’ve also created videos to introduce each chapter.
My hope is that tens of thousands of churches—not just charismatics and Pentecostals—will find the book useful. A Baptist friend said he felt I wrote it just for him. A Presbyterian friend told me it helped him piece together things he’d heard from charismatics but didn’t comprehend.
It was never my goal to improve on the many other books written about the Holy Spirit. Instead, I wanted to present Him in a way ordinary people could understand, offering hope that the power of the Holy Spirit can help us survive and thrive in these unprecedented days. I seek to help readers understand the gifts of the Spirit as well, often using true stories to support my points and show how the fruit of the Spirit works in our lives.
I also deal with trials, sin and how receiving the Holy Spirit doesn’t keep us from challenges but empowers us to overcome them, giving us vision, granting victory and growing our insight to see miracles. Still, our culture discounts most things associated with the Christian life, and many lukewarm believers downplay the Holy Spirit’s power as unimportant.
His power and presence change everything. If a motivational speaker can win in life with his 10X rule, shouldn’t those of us who have the Spirit’s power accomplish even more?
Yes, if we seek God with our whole hearts, we can have 10 times the faith for our ministry efforts, and our lives can be 10 times more effective for the kingdom. We must stop being satisfied with anything less than God’s presence filling our lives and churches to overflowing, pouring out from us to a desperate world.
What could we do if we were fully empowered by the Holy Spirit? Church history, beginning with the apostles, is full of men and women who have done great things for God through the Spirit’s power. But what about today? Who dares to believe God in fresh ways? Who will be fully led by the Holy Spirit? Who will move in His gifts and demonstrate His fruit so His presence is evident?
I hope this issue motivates you to read the book and share it with friends. May it spark a new revival in your life so that together, we see a new focus on the Holy Spirit in the church and in this upside-down culture that so desperately needs to be Spirit-led.
Stephen Strang is founding editor of Charisma. His latest book, Spirit-Led Living in an Upside-Down World, now available for preorder at stephenstrangbooks.com, releases May 16, 2023.
